Consequence assessment of hydrological communications through borehole plugs

Technical Report · Mon Aug 10 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5516602

This report describes the effect of borehole plug integrity on consequence assessments performed for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The study is based on scenarios described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Appendix K, for the WIPP, US Department of Energy, October 1980. The flow rates through a borehole, assumed to penetrate the waste storage location and to connect underlying and overlying aquifers, are determined as a function of the hydraulic conductance of the plugs. Similar calculations are performed for multiple boreholes communicating with the aquifers. It is concluded that low permeability plugs (less than 1 md) are not essential to satisfy public health and safety requirements at the WIPP, but rather that such plugs act as a redundant barrier in the multiple barrier isolation concept.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); INTERA Environmental Consultants, Inc., Houston, TX (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5516602
• Report Number(s): SAND-81-7164; ON: DE82011242
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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AQUIFERS
BOREHOLE LINKING
BOREHOLES
CAVITIES
DATA
DRILL CORES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW RATE
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDRAULICS
HYDROLOGY
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MECHANICS
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PERMEABILITY
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SALT DEPOSITS
SIMULATION
SOUTHWEST REGION
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT